Instruction: Spanish Conditional Tense – Reflexive
Reflexive verbs in Spanish are used when the subject of the verb is also the object, meaning the action is performed on oneself. In the conditional tense, reflexive verbs allow you to express what you would do to yourself or others under certain conditions. The reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) are used along with the conditional tense conjugation.
Using reflexive verbs in the conditional tense can help you talk about hypothetical situations, express politeness, and discuss potential actions in a nuanced way.
How to Conjugate Reflexive Verbs in the Conditional Tense
To conjugate reflexive verbs in the conditional tense:
Choose the appropriate reflexive pronoun:
| Singular | Plural |
First Person | me (myself) | nos (ourselves) |
Second Person | tú (yourself - Juana/Pedro) | os (yourself informal – used mainly in Spain) |
Third Person | se (himself) se (herself) se (yourself Sra./Sr. García) | se (they masculine/mixed) se (they feminine) se (you all) |
Conjugate the verb in the future tense:
- Keep the infinitive form of the verb.
- Attach the reflexive pronoun to the end of the verb.
- Add the conditional tense endings (below) directly to the infinitive.
Yo | - ía | Nosotros | - íamos |
Tú (Juana, Juan) | - ías | Vosotros (informal Spain) | - íais |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) | - ía | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | - ían |
Example with the verb “levantarse” (to get up):
Yo | me levantaría I would get up | Nosotros | nos levantaríamos we would get up |
Tú (Juana, Juan) | te levantarías you would get up | Vosotros (informal Spain) | os levantaríais (Spain) you all would get up |
Él/Ella/Ud. (Sra./Dr. García) | se levantaría he/she/you would get up | Ellos/Ellas/Uds. | se levantarían they/you all would get up |
Example Sentences:
- Ellos se levantarían para ayudar, pero están ocupados. (They would get up to help, but they are busy.)
- Yo me levantaría más temprano si no *estuviera tan cansado. (I would get up earlier if I weren’t so tired.)
Examples of Common Reflexive Verbs in the Conditional Tense
Here are some common reflexive verbs and how they are conjugated in the conditional tense:
Lavarse (to wash oneself)
- Yo me lavaría las manos antes de comer, pero no hay agua. (I would wash my hands before eating, but there’s no water.)
- Ella se lavaría el pelo hoy, pero no tiene champú. (She would wash her hair today, but she doesn’t have shampoo.)
Acostarse (to go to bed)
- Yo me acostaría temprano, pero tengo que terminar este proyecto. (I would go to bed early, but I have to finish this project.)
- Nosotros nos acostaríamos tarde si *tuviéramos que estudiar. (We would go to bed late if we had to study.)
Vestirse (to get dressed)
- Tú te vestirías rápido si *supieras que estamos tarde. (You would get dressed quickly if you knew we were late.)
- Ellos se vestirían de gala si *fueran invitados. (They would dress up if they were invited.)
Despertarse (to wake up)
- Yo me despertaría a las seis, pero el despertador no sonó. (I would wake up at six, but the alarm didn’t go off.)
- Nosotros nos despertaríamos con el sol si no *fuera invierno. (We would wake up with the sun if it weren’t winter.)
Ducharse (to take a shower)
- Tú te ducharías después de correr, pero no hay agua caliente. (You would take a shower after running, but there’s no hot water.)
- Él se ducharía antes de salir, pero no tiene tiempo. (He would take a shower before going out, but he doesn’t have time.)
Sentarse (to sit down)
- Yo me sentaría en el sofá, pero está ocupado. (I would sit on the couch, but it’s occupied.)
- Vosotros os sentaríais en primera fila si *llegaran temprano. (You all would sit in the front row if you arrived early.)
Peinarse (to comb one’s hair)
- Ella se peinaría antes de salir, pero no tiene su peine. (She would comb her hair before leaving, but she doesn’t have her comb.)
- Nosotros nos peinaríamos para la foto, pero el viento es fuerte. (We would comb our hair for the photo, but the wind is strong.)
Relajarse (to relax)
- Yo me relajaría más si *tuviera menos estrés. (I would relax more if I had less stress.)
- Ellos se relajarían en la playa, pero el clima no es bueno. (They would relax on the beach, but the weather isn’t good.)
*You will learn this tense (past subjunctive) in a future lesson.
Conclusion
Using reflexive verbs in the conditional tense allows you to discuss hypothetical situations involving actions done to oneself or others to themselves. This is particularly useful for expressing politeness, hypothetical scenarios, and personal actions that might occur under certain conditions. Practice these forms regularly to gain confidence in using the conditional tense with reflexive verbs